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Battle of Pallas Station
|side2 = Free Navy |commanders1 = |commanders2 = |forces1 = Connaught Panshin Serrio Mal Solano (Sacrifice ship) |forces2 = Pallas Station defenses *Torpedoes *PDCs |date = 24 century |casual1 = Panshin heavily damaged and whilst still operational was unable to continue campaign |casual2 = Station docks made unusable due to blocking ship Solano }} The''' Battle of Pallas Station''' was a major battle amidst the Consolidated Fleet Offensive during the Free Navy Conflict. The assault on the station was carried out by Consolidated Fleet forces under command of . Unlike other battles, this one was a direct naval assault on a station itself, leaving Pallas Station ultimately blockaded for the remainder of the war''The Expanse: Babylon's Ashes'', Chapter 41.. Prelude Forced to deal with the dangerous lack of resources and infrastructure left by in abandonment of Ceres Station, the Consolidated Fleet was pulled thin across the Sol system. In contrast, the Free Navy had not achieved the quick victory it had promised such that the protracted war was destabilizing the Belt and pushing it increasingly into dire need of resources. Capitalizing on the loss of morale and newfound distrust of Inaros, the Consolidated Fleet creates alliances with previously unallied OPA, including Michio Pa's Pirate Fleet from the Free Navy. The leaders of the Consolidated Fleet decide to assault Medina Station. To do so, Inaros's Free Navy must be distracted lest they turn their forces on the small assault force that the Consolidated Fleet can spare. The resulting Consolidated Fleet Offensive was a simultaneous attack on many Free Navy positions, including Pallas Station''The Expanse: Babylon's Ashes'', Chapter 38.. Pa's attack group includes the Panshin under , the Serrio Mal under , the Connaught under her own command, and the Solano. The last of which had taken significant damage during engagements and skirmishes with the Free Navy since Pa's mutiny. As such, it was evacuated prior to the battle and used as a strategical asset. Battle The purpose of the assault was to neutralize Pallas Station as a dock and source of resources for the Free Navy. To do this, the docks were targeted for destruction. The Solano – to be sacrificed in destroying the docks – was set on an intercept course, lagging behind its escorts the Connaught, the Panshin, and the Serrio Mal. These ships provided themselves as ample, engaged targets to draw torpedo fire from the station. At this point, PDCs were not a concern as the Solano did not need to be intact to destroy the Pallas's docks. During the engagement, Pa decides to change the goal of the assault. Destroying the docks would only increase the chance of death for the Belters on Pallas station, who were not the reason for the attack. In order to stave off starvation from Belt destabilization, the new goal set is to blockade Pallas rather than cripple it. In addition to escorting the Solano, the three attacking ships then proceed to take out PDC installations. This drastically increases the danger of the mission as well as the resources used. The battle lasts for over 2 hours before the PDCs housed around the docks are neutralized and the Solano can approach. Once in place, its Epstein Drive is primed, ready to slag the docks if anything appears to be approaching, leaving, or attempting to disable the Solano. Aftermath During the engagement, the Panshin takes heavy damage including a section of hull that is pulled back. Michio Pa decides to leave the Panshin in charge of the blockade. Orders given to Captain Rodriguez is to hold the blockade but to not slag the docks unless positive determination is attained of Free Navy activity; civilians are not to be harmed. Torpedoes and other spare resources are transferred from the Panshin to the Connaught and Serrio Mal. The two ships then depart Pallas to rendezvous with an MCRN battle group for the Battle of Titan. However, due to the change in the battle's goal, the Consolidated Fleet's forces at Titan are now reduced -- both in terms of ship presence and ordinance availability. Category:Conflicts and Confrontations